This is the sequel to this article.  Here are a few more profiles of the teams that tried out in DC. I had a lot of fun talking to these enthusiastic possible future restaurant owners and/or television personalities.

Paul and Antonio are an example of a team where it is obvious which team members are the front and back of the house.  Paul came off as very serious and said that they “Are looking to display professionalism and a fun atmosphere while using proper (French) techniques to create simple and spectacular food.  This would be farm to table, sustainable, and non GMO, with a Charlie Palmer atmosphere and attention to detail.” Antonio is very personable and positive and described himself as having an “electric personality,” saying that he would “endear himself to the customer and has an understanding of what it is like to be in the patron’s shoes.”

Carmen would be the front of house and Chris would be back of house, although both are chefs.  Their six year old son Ashton is in the picture with them.  It is their dream to have a restaurant, and they want to give back to the community.  They have an Asian fusion concept and their signature dish would be miso salmon.

JB and David are friends.  JB would be front of house and is active duty military, while david would be back of house.  JB said that they “work hard and want to make money doing it.”  They are both Texans, and their concept would be mixed-region barbeque with various sauce options.  Their signature dish would be brisket.

Burt (front of house) and James (back of house) are good friends, and they had a good vibe about them.  Friends introduced them too each other since they have similar goals and interests.  Burt was going to open a restaurant called “the Big Easy” and James was working at Taste of Carolina on U Street.  Their concept is sophisticated southern/creole, and their signature dishes would be “Millionaire Mac N’ Cheese” and banana pudding cupcakes.

Jen (front of house) and Caitlin (back of house) are roommates who have worked in restaurants for 16 years. (Maybe they mean in total?)  Their concept is home style comfort food (sort of like Paula Deen), and their signature dish is chicken a la king.

It was great getting to talk to all these teams, and I wish them luck in the competition.

-JAY

I stopped by the casting call for CBS News’ 24 Hour Restaurant Battle.  I had originally planned on trying out but the friend I would have been partnered with landed a last-minute day job, and couldn’t attend.  So, my friend Amy Melrose of Free in DC suggested I just go down there and cover it for DCFUD.  She even joined me there for a little while and got pulled in by the Nyema/Tommy tractor beam.

I spoke to over a dozen teams, so I’ll break this into 2 articles and cover some of the teams.  I was definitely interested in the kinds of people and teams that were trying out for this show and a chance to run a restaurant together.  There had to be an existing relationship (friends, family, etc.) between the team members.  I asked them if they have a restaurant concept and why they wanted to do this reality show.  Every team said having a restaurant was their dream.

Mauricio and Chef Jose Luiz Molina are two brothers who are in the restaurant business. Mauricio works for Busboys & Poets, and Jose Luis works for Kington Hotels.  If cast for the show, Jose would work the back of the house and Mauricio would work the front.  They are Bolivian, and have a top secret concept for Latin American Fusion.  They grabbed my attention immediately since they seemed friendly and approachable.   I spoke to them first, and they turned out to have a very friendly and comfortable vibe. They are a lot of fun to hangout with, and are very cool guys.

Lauren (back of house) and Maryam (front of house) were the next team I approached because they seemed vibrant and positive.  They are friends who met in college, and recently discussed a “joke concept” for a restaurant while exploring Spain and Portugal.  They were one of the few teams that didn’t have a “fusion” concept and didn’t use the phrase “with a  twist.”  Their concept is trendy mid-scale American, and would appeal to families.  A signature dish: meatloaf muffins AKA portable meatloaf.  Got ketchup frosting? Mmmmm.

Nyema and Tommy are friends and are very friendly and charismatic; they just draw you in, and this is the table Amy was at the whole time she was there.   I guessed correctly that larger than life and very expressive Tommy would be front of the house.  Nyema joked that Tommy is the “hot girl” on the team, and he added that he “sashays something fierce.”   Concept: American Food with French and African American accents.  Signature dish: Fillet Mignon with sweet potato puree, shitaki mushrooms, and a sweet potato twill.

Braddock and Tanya are dating, and Tanya and Dan are brother and sister.  Tanya would be front of house, Dan would be back of house, and Braddock could be either front or back.  They were originally going to apply as two teams that both included Tanya, but consolidated into one team.  They all work together at Costello’s in Kingston, PA.  Their food concept is new age soul food with an astrological twist in both the food and layout of the restaurant.  Pisces anyone? 🙂

Sandra (back of the house) and Silvia (front of house) Baird are Australian identical twins who spent part of their childhoods in Toledo (Spain, not Ohio).  They speak fluent Spanish and their signature dish is paella Valenciana.  I teased them about the matching outfits.  They had a lot of presence – they were outgoing, radiant, and in stereo!   They gave me a tip about trying the “dietary restriction” menu at P.F. Changs.  I know….Ray‘s gonna bust on me for that one…but seriously, have you HAD those grease-dripping tempura green beans at PFC? 🙂

-JAY